It’s 3 A.M. on a humid night, and German DJ/producer HOSH (Holger Behn) has the crowd at Papaya Playa swaying as if under a spell. The melodic techno-wizard from Hamburg has become an unlikely hero of Mexico’s underground scene – a journey that’s taken him from early days at Solomun’s Diynamic label to headlining mystical beach raves in Tulum. HOSH’s sound – hypnotic, and emotionally charged – resonates powerfully with Latin audiences, proving that techno knows no borders!
Born in Hamburg in 1986, Holger Behn — better known as HOSH — wasn’t always destined for the DJ booth. But an obsession with how records were constructed pushed him from the dancefloor to the studio. He’s famously said that producing is like cooking: “The meal – or the track – gets better the more love you put in.” That hands-on, heartfelt approach became his signature.
He found his creative home in the late 2000s with Diynamic Music, the now-seminal label co-founded by Solomun, where HOSH was a foundational artist. His early releases — like Oelckersallee EP, White Elephant, and Connecting the Dots — helped define the label’s deep, melodic sound. Over the years, he built a solid reputation as a DJ's DJ — grounded in groove, always with a sense of story.
Throughout the 2010s, HOSH pumped out deep, emotive dancefloor cuts on Diynamic and played residencies at Ibiza clubs, becoming a staple of the European underground. But by 2017, Holger Behn was itching for more freiheit – freedom. That year he launched his own imprint Fryhide (a made-up word pronounced like the German “Freiheit”).
If Diynamic was about one family’s sound, Fryhide would be a free-spirited expedition “encapsulating soulful stories” from many artists. He kicked it off with Stories From Sa Talaia, a concept album split into four EPs, featuring collaborations with talents like GHEIST, Tim Engelhardt, and Lehar.
Soon, Fryhide became more than just a label. It was a curation platform, releasing genre-defining melodic house from a new generation. Notably, it gave early support to ARTBAT, who’d go on to become superstars. By 2018, Fryhide was charting in Beatport’s global top 100 and hosting showcases in Montreal, Berlin, Amsterdam, Hamburg, and beyond.
This maverick streak – breaking away to forge his own path – solidified HOSH’s reputation as more than just a DJ, but a tastemaker. In 2018, he was nominated for the Melodic House & Techno DJ Awards, joining names like Tale Of Us and Adriatique.
HOSH’s career hit warp speed around 2020 thanks to a haunting remix of a Hunger Games song turned club anthem. Teaming up with Italian producer 1979 and UK singer Jalja, he crafted “Midnight (The Hanging Tree)”, a brooding melodic house rework that unexpectedly blew up.
The track shot to #1 on Beatport’s Melodic House & Techno chart and even cracked the UK Singles Chart Top 40 – a crossover feat few underground DJs ever achieve. BBC Radio 1 tastemakers like Annie Mac and Pete Tong dubbed it the “hottest record” of the week, and just like that, HOSH found himself on mainstream radar without compromising his style.
Rather than sell out, he leaned in. That same year, he was tapped by UK dance-pop stars Becky Hill & Sigala to remix “Heaven On My Mind”, injecting it with a soulful, late-night groove. The result: a polished yet moody version that worked just as well on a sweaty dancefloor as it did on the radio.
Since then, he’s continued to evolve. In 2022 and 2023, he released emotionally rich originals like “Song to the Siren” and “Wanna Fly” (with Lovespeake), blending warm vocals with spacious production. He also reworked “Body Language” by M.A.N.D.Y. vs. Booka Shade into a 130 BPM rocket for modern dancefloors. These tracks still carry his trademark hypnotic weight, but with a brighter, more melodic hue.
Even his older remixes — from Sono’s “Keep Control” to RÜFÜS’ “Innerbloom” — have resurfaced in new DJ sets and playlists, proving how timeless his touch is.
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But HOSH’s impact isn’t just measured in releases — it’s in the places his music touches down. And over the years, Mexico has become one of his spiritual homes.
Back in the mid-2010s, he was already lighting up dancefloors at BPM Festival in Playa del Carmen, playing Diynamic showcases with Solomun and Stimming under the jungle canopy. His style — “beefy, organic basslines” and “chill-but-spooky grooves” — seemed made for the sultry Mexican night.
As Mexico’s electronic music scene evolved, HOSH returned again and again. He played a now-legendary sunset set in Tulum during a Diynamic Takeover, blending tropical ambiance with cinematic soundscapes. He headlined Anywhere Festival in 2022 and topped the bill at Papaya Playa Project’s “Los Dos Uno Rebirth” in December 2023, sharing the stage with boho-house collective Feathered Sun.
And it’s not just the beaches. In Mexico City, HOSH has played sweaty marathon sets at Funk Club and welcomed the New Year at Rioma, connecting with a grittier side of the underground. He adapts every time — stretching builds, throwing curveballs, reading the crowd like a storyteller.
No surprise Mexico ranks among his top five countries for listeners, right up there with Germany, the UK, and the U.S. For a German artist fluent in techno, that’s love — loud and clear.
So why does Latin America — and Mexico in particular — connect so deeply with HOSH’s music?
Maybe it’s the emotional depth in his sets. He famously once said, “I am from space,” half-joking about the cosmic feeling his music brings. But it checks out: HOSH behind the decks looks like a man channeling another dimension — eyes closed, hand on the fader, lost in the frequencies.
He’s been clear about one thing: he only plays music he truly feels. “People notice when you’re connected with what you play,” he once said. That connection is mutual. Mexican and Latin American fans — known for their open-hearted, expressive energy — feed right back into his vibe. It becomes a loop of emotion, melody, and movement.
Culturally, HOSH also represents something rare in the Latin scene: underground credibility with a melodic, almost romantic touch. At his shows, you’ll find old-school ravers, stylish creatives, and even curious reggaetoneros drawn in by the groove.
Tracks like “Midnight”, “Roads” (inspired by Portishead), or even his remix of “Heaven On My Mind” hit differently when the sun’s rising over a beach in Cancún or the fog rolls in at 5 A.M. in CDMX!
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From open-air parties in Hamburg to jungle raves in Tulum, HOSH has stuck to his guns — chasing freedom in sound and never compromising the vibe. He’s that rare breed of artist who can pull melodic techno out of the underground and into bigger spaces without sucking the soul out of it.
Crowds all over the world have caught on. From misty forests to rooftop sessions to clubs where the ceiling’s practically sweating, people show up, lock in, and ride the wave. With HOSH, it’s never just a set — it’s a slow-burning, cosmic trip you don’t want to come down from.
And he’s nowhere near done. As he put it, there’s “loads more coming” — more music, more nights, more scenes to melt. Wherever there’s a crowd hungry for something real, HOSH will be there — low-key, locked in, and ready to launch!
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